Project Objective: To locate,
positively identify and report on the SS Paringa. Ship History:
Steel steamship of 1359 tons. Built in Kinghorn, England, 1908 for the
Adelaide Steamship Company. Lbd 230.2 x 36.1 x 13.9ft. She had been laid
up in Port Adelaide until sold to Chinese interests in 1935, when her
register as a British ship closed.
In late December 1935, whilst towing the old tanker Vincas out of
Western Port, the ships met a gale off Wilsons Promontory. When the
line parted the Paringa disappeared in the darkness and apparently
foundered in Bass Strait shortly after, taking five European officers
and twenty six Chinese crewmen to their deaths.
The Vincas, with a skeleton crew of four Chinese aboard, drifted
toward the Gippsland coast and dropped anchor near Lakes Entrance.
The depth of the Paringa is unknown.
Project Status: Research continues. On-water search is planned
for later this year depending upon research outcomes.
Further Information Required: Any information on the Paringa,
its loss, ship general arrangement drawings, any information on the crew
and officers.
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